retiring Keith Hernandezs #17

[doitny]

its about time

[RutgersJetFan]

Just the dopest news. Keith is a staple for the franchise and probably the best commentator in the game. So overdue and deserved. 

[chirorob]

Good for him.

Kind of odd they waited, 30 years.

[section314]

Great news on a cold winter night. Long overdue.

[Scott Dierking]

I will never forget that Summer of 1983, as I was home from college working a construction job, and getting up in the wee hours of the morning in the middle of the June, and hearing on the radio that the Mets had traded for Keith Hernandez and saying out loud "wow, how did we ever get fortunate enough to make that happen?". 

That trade was the lynchpin to making the rest of the 80's happen and making sure Doc and Straw were relevant. Carter topped it off, but Hernandez was the engine.

The greatest baseball book I have ever read was "If at First", with Keith documenting every day of the 1985 season. I have read it at least 4 times now.

 

[Maxman]

Question:  What took so long for this? Total no brainer. I am shocked this hasn't been done already.

[doitny]

9 hours ago, Maxman said:

Question:  What took so long for this? Total no brainer. I am shocked this hasn't been done already.

got this from the post 

It should be noted, for the record and out of fairness, that the decision to retire Hernandez’s number was reached by the Mets’ Hall of Fame Committee while the Wilpon family still owned the team, and Jeff Wilpon led that committee (the news was embargoed, even from Hernandez, so Jerry Koosman could enjoy the spotlight solo for a year). So was the decision, however tardy, to commission a Tom Seaver statue, which will also be unveiled this year.

but your right. he should have got this a long time ago

[faba]

Blame the wilpons like everything else they did not do. Thankfully gone and long overdue

[BeaconJet]

They did delay Keith for a year due to the Koosman thing, and then you had Seaver passing as well as was noted.

But prior to Koosman, the Wilpons had a long-standing unwritten rule that only players who made the HOF (and made the HOF as a Met - hence Gary Carter's #8 not being retired) got their numbers retired. It was only around 2018 when David Wright retired, that they started to listen to the fans and considered loosening up the restriction.  

Keith should have had his #17 on the wall a decade or more ago.  After Keith, I'd like to see them retire #8, which is a no-brainer, and should already be done if not for the Wilpons' dumb rule. 

You could make an argument for down the road retiring #5 for David Wright and #45 for John Franco. 

Some people have even suggested #15 for Beltran, although I'd be on the fence about that one. If he did manage to make the HOF, I suppose its more likely.  

[Peace Frog]

On a somewhat related note--why aren't there statues out in front of and around Citifield.

Tom Seaver should be right down in front of home plate. With that classic delivery. It's a travesty there isn't one.  

Then Koosman jumping into the arms of Grote off third base.  Cleon kneeling as he cathes the last out out near left field.  Agee making that catch.  Gil Hodges in his Met jacket, slightly stooped, hands thrust in his pockets.  

Carter, Straw, Doc, Keith, Wright maybe Piazza.  

Cohen loves statues and sculpture, maybe soon.  

If you've ever been to Wrigley, they have a bunch.  Same with the Cards, Twins, Reds, Redsox, Whitesox- it goes on and on.